Following Jaren Stewart's refusal to stand for the Pledge of Allegiance during a recent student senate meeting, Clemson University's student government made an attempt to remove him from his position as vice president earlier this week.

A motion to hear the articles of impeachment failed to reach a vote during a meeting Monday evening, and it's unclear if the student government is going to let the issue rest.

Stewart came under fire after he refused to stand for the pledge during a meeting on Sept. 25, and a week later, on Oct. 3, a photo was published online of a Clemson University report appearing to detail allegations misconduct by Stewart.

The Independent Mail has not been able to authenticate the document, and Stewart has declined to comment.

Leland Dunwoodie, president of Clemson's student senate, said Miller Hoffman, a student senator, introduced a motion to hear the articles of impeachment during Monday's meeting. The motion was objected, meaning a vote was required to move the motion forward.

Dunwoodie said the body voted 36–25 in favor of hearing the articles, but he deemed the motion a failure because it did not get a two-thirds majority. As it turns out, his ruling was incorrect, and the motion should have passed when the objection failed to gain a two-thirds majority. Dunwoodie said he misunderstood the rules governing the vote.

The senate could vote again to hear the articles, but no decision has been made. The next meeting will be Monday, Oct. 23.

While Dunwoodie said this is the first time he can recall an effort being made to impeach a student government leader, he believes the body's other successful ventures are being overlooked.

"These other matters are obviously at hand, but we can't lose sight of why we were elected and why we’re here," Dunwoodie said. "The biggest thing is that we trust and follow the process — whatever the outcome may be."

Follow Georgie Silvarole on Twitter @gsilvarole, or shoot her an email at georgie.silvarole@independentmail.com.